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Saturday, June 25, 2016

Model Citizen or Monster:The wide gulf between how people view a foster granddad accused of molestation
By Patrick Sullivan
There are two portraits of Jere Clark to choose from: a solid citizen who
takes care of troubled children in Bellaire or a monster who preys on
them.
The gulf between them is wider than the Jordan River Valley.
At the end of a preliminary hearing in April to determine if there was
enough evidence to prove Clark molested a foster child in the care of his
family, lawyers argued over whether Clark should be freed on bail while
the case wound its way through 86th District Court.
Clark owns 160 acres in Antrim County, his defense attorney, Steven
Freeman argued. What’s more, he’s lived in the county since the age of
six; he had supporters in the courtroom ready to vouch for him and he was
willing to wear a tether and surrender his passport if released.
Freeman said later he believes the allegations against Clark were spurred
by over-zealous investigators and have been planted into the heads of the
accusers.
Not so fast, argued Erin House, special assistant attorney general who is
working with the county prosecutor’s office on the case.
House depicted the 69-year-old who spent the bulk of his life on a farm
outside of Bellaire as a monster who has preyed on foster children for
years.

ANTRIM CO. -- An Antrim County foster parent is behind bars, accused of assaulting a young girl over a five year period. Investigators believe there could be more victims.

The Antrim County Sheriff Department arrested Jere Clark, 69, Thursday. Clark is accused of sexually assaulting the girl from an extended period of time from the Summer of 2004 to late December 2009.

The Antrim County Prosecuting Attorney, Charles H. Koop, in conjunction with Erin House, Special Assistant Attorney General (SAAG) for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, issued a felony complaint alleging one (1) count of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the First Degree, which carries a penalty of up to Life in prison, and six (6) counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Third Degree, which carries a penalty of 15 years in prison.

The criminal complaint alleges that the improper sexual conduct - which included intercourse - began when the victim was 12 years-old and continued until she was 18 years-old and moved out of her mother's home and away from Clark.

Clark is the former foster father of the victim's adoptive mother. The criminal complaint alleges that Clark used force and coercion to commit the sexual assaults on the victim.

For many years, Clark, as well as the victim's mother, have been involved in providing foster care in their homes for many children in the Bellaire area.

Due to the nature of the allegations and Clark's status as a foster care provider, the prosecutor's office and the Antrim County Sheriff Department are requesting that people who may have any information about the allegations or similar behavior by Clark, please provide the information in a confidential manner by contacting Det. Ed Smith at the Antrim County Sheriff Department at 231-533-6827, extension 3524, or Erin House or Charles Koop at the Prosecuting Attorney's office at 231-533-6860.

SAAG Ms. House is part of a special task force combating domestic violence and criminal sexual conduct assaults in nine northern Michigan counties.

Ms. House is assigned to Antrim, Leelanau and Benzie counties. The task force is in partnership with the Michigan Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Board, Attorney General Bill Schuette, and local prosecutors. The special task force was created in January, 2004 to address domestic violence prosecution and was expanded in October, 2009 to include prosecution of criminal sexual assault crimes.

The program funding ends September 30, 2010. Antrim and Leelanau County Prosecuting Attorneys, Charles Koop and Joseph Hubbell, with assistance from the local Women Resource Center, have recently applied for a grant to continue the program after funding through the Michigan Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Board ends in September of 2011.

STATEMENT FROM CHUCK KING, FORMER POLICE OFFICER

DAN BEAN 3-4-2011

YOU CAN [SEND] THIS TO CHARLIE KOOP

1- SEX ABUSE BY JERRY CLARK HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 40 YEARS.

2- I FIRST KNEW ABOUT JERRY CLARK ON SEX ABUSE IN 1971 WHEN RUTHY CLARK CAME DOWN TOWN WHE I WAS THE VILLAGE COP. SHE WAS CRYING – SHE TOLD ME SHE CAUGHT JERRY UP HAVING SEX WITH PATRICIA LAURY WHO WAS A FOSTER CHILD AT THE TIME. SHE SAID SHE HAS TO PUT OUT FOR JERRY EVERY DAY EVEN THROUGH HER PERIOD. I TOLD HER TURN HIM IN, BUT SHE NEVER DID.

3-PATRICIA ALONG WITH JASON CLARK CAUGHT JERRY IN A MOTEL HAVING SEX WITH MIRANDA AND DID NOTHING.

4-NOW AIMEE LOWERY HAS BEEN ABUSED. JERRY CLARK HAS BEEN SEX ABUSING HER SINCE 2004. SHE WAS 12 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME. SHE HAD TO PUT OUT FOR HIM 2 TO 3 TIMES A WEEK IF SHE DIDN'T HE WOULD THREATEN HER. PATTY WHO WAS HER FOSTER MOTHER AT TIME KNEW IT WAS GOING ON BUT DID NOTHING ABOUT IT.

5-MOLLY CLARK KNEPW IT WAS GOING ON THE WHOLE TIME BUT DID NOTHING ABOUT IT

6-JASON CLARK WHO LIVED AT THE CLARK AT ONE TIME HE CALLED ME AND HE WOULD LIKE TO TESTIFY. HIS PHONE NO IS 1-231-879-6029.

CHUCK KING

P.S. THERE IS STILL 2 GIRLS UP AT THE PATTIES

COMPLAINT ON JERRY CLARK 1-26-2010

ERRY CLARK SEX ABUSE WITH AIMEE LOWERY.

JERRY & RUTHY CLARK

5911 SHANTY CREEK RD

BELLAIRE MICH.

533-8339

PATRICIA LOWERY

5999 SHANTY CREEK RD

BELLAIRE MICH.

533-6324

THE JERRY CLARK SEX ABUSE STARTED WITH PATTY LOWERY BACK IN THE 70'S WHEN SHE WAS A FOSTER DAUGHTER AT THE CLARKS. RUTHY CAUGHT HIM UP IN THE BARN HAVING SEX WITH PATTY. SHE CAME DOWN TOWN TO BELLAIRE WHERE I WAS A POLICE OFFICER AND TOLD ME ABOUT IT SHE SAID CHUCK I HAVE TO PUT OUT FOR HIM EVERY DAY EVER DURING MY PERIOD I TOLD HER TO TURN HIM IN, SHE NEVER DID. JERRY SEX ABUSE HAS BEEN GOIN ON FOR OVER 35 YEARS. RUTHY KNOWS IT IS GOING ON AND STILL DOES NOTHING. PATTY LOWERY HAS NEVER TURNED HIIM IN.

THE LATEST GIRL TO BE SEX ABUSE BY JERRY CLARK IS AIMEE LOWERY THE ADOPTED DAUGHTER OF PATTY LOWERY. THIS HAS BEN GOING ON FOR 5 YEARS. SHE HAS MOVE OUT OF THE HOUSE AND SHE WANT TO FILE A COMPLAINT AGAINST JERRY CLARK FOR SEX ABUSE. SHE IS THE 3RD GIRL TO COMPLAIN ABOUT JERRY CLARK FOR SEX ABUSE. I WILL BRING AIMEE IN TO FILE A COMPLAINT AGAINST HIM.

CHUCK KING

DAN

SET US UP A TIME WHEN WE CAN COM IN AND FILE A COMPLAINT ON JERRY. HE NEED TO BE STOP. I'M NOT OUT TO PUT HIM IN PRISON HE COULD BE PUT IN THE COUNTY JAIL AND GIVEN PROBATION.

MEE LOWERY WAS PUT IN PATTY HOME AS A FOSTER CHILD DEC. 8 2001 SHE WAS 9 YEAR OLD. THE FIRST TIME JERRY HAD HER DO A SEX ACT WAS THE SUMMER 2004 SHE WAS 12 YEARS OLD SHE HAD TO PERFORM SEX 2 TO 3 TIMES A WEEK THIS WENT ON THRU 2009.

(Handwritten comment) DAN I'M STILL WAITING FOR A CALL FROM YOU SO AIMME & ME CAN COME IN TO FILE A SEX ABUSE COMPLAINT AGAINST JERRY CLARK. CHUCK KING 1-27-2010